Category: Uncategorized

My initial thoughts on visiting Cube Reflections for the first time were totally different to my thoughts on leaving. I know people say that first impressions count, but sometimes when you hang around for a little longer you find things that are better than those first impressions. This is definitely a blog where the reader should linger before coming to any conclusions.

The second part of the name describes the weblog better than the first in my opinion. The witty well-written posts that have been added to this site since January 2003 mostly fall into a category that we could call ‘reflections on life’ and are in no way restricted to thoughts on the anonymous author’s work life. Although a personal blog, don’t be fooled into thinking that it will only be interesting to read if you think you know the writer or have a similar job to him, as this site will have a far broader appeal.

Although this is a blogspot hosted site, the design is different from the usual template-based selections of many. Don’t be fooled by the choice of heading font and picture though as this appears to be selected because of personal taste rather than because they compliment the blog style. Unfortunately, the layout doesn’t work quite so well in Mozilla Firebird as it might in other browsers, but the posts were still readable so I wasn’t too bothered.

Other than the blog and a smattering of links to other sites that the author is keen on, there isn’t much else here. Not that there needs to be though, as this site isn’t about photos and the writer could hardly maintain his anonymity with another page all about him, so it helps to focus the reader on the main page and the archives.

Cube Reflections is an entertaining read which I’d have no problem recommending. Pop along now and dip into the December posts to get yourself aquainted. Definitely worth a second look.Cube Reflections

When I first visited this site, I immediately saw the generic Blogger template, only it had a few tweeks, which make blogs often look so much better. This is the case for “a likely story”. She has made something rather generic into something very cutesy and attractive. I was interested to see what kind of person would match the layout. There were very few links on the side bar, which wasn’t too helpful in seeing the author’s likes, but I figured there was only one way to find out.

While reading this weblog, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t full of meaningless babble or rants and raves; this blog consisted of experiences that the author found fit to blog. Now, although the content isn’t exactly geared to amuse the curious onlooker, it is interesting to hear what is going on in her life. I really enjoyed reading about her daughters A and E, however, I found that the stories and such wouldn’t quite keeps all readers busy. Perhaps if there was more about what is going on in the country and her views on the subject, it would become more reader friends. However, I am unaware of who exactly she is writing this blog for. All in all, a perfectly ordinary blog of a woman who really loves books, church, and family!

The design, as I said before, was very nice. I really enjoyed the touches she added to personalize an over used template. The colors are soft and very easy on the eyes. Snaps to Angela for a very nice color scheme!

I think, altogether, this blog is only getting better. As the author said herself, “Each time I visit someone else’s blog, I find a new trinket to bring to my own.” Obviously, this blog will only ripen with time. Until then, it’s still a little bare and lacks some author/reader interaction.a likely story

The title of this site is in white projected on a cherry red background at the top of the page. I had to resize my browser window to view this site. The header just below describes the author in terms that, while intriguing, are relatively vague (anarchist mystic?) This had my attention, and, as I read on, key words like fascism clued me into this site being relatively political in nature. Reading on, I found this assumption to be mostly correct.

There are as many blogs as there are political slants, and, by definition, most blogs have a political slant. The liberal anti-Bush blog has almost become cliche. However, a few entries into this blog, and the author was already quite dear to me. Often online one finds people who, while very vocal, have no idea what they’re professing. Here is an obviously very educated and knowledgeable guy writing about the issues he cares about. While this is far from being a traditional links-to-news blog, he often responds to articles or posts by other people with intelligence and politeness. The main subject of this blog seems to be the Bush administration’s policies

The blog has apparently only existed for two weeks, but in those two weeks we have a huge volume of posts. If the author can keep up this level of involvement into the future, this blog is sure to be a success. In addition to the blog, the site features a catalogue of the author’s adventures- trips to semi-exotic locations with lots of great pictures, some of glittering stars hanging from the sky. Visit this section for the view. The author is also an anger-management counselor, and his blog links to his professional site.

As mentioned earlier, however, the site design is less than perfect. A defect in IE forced me to resize my browser to view the page properly. The author acknowledges this on the page, stating “IE is busted.” While he may be correct about IE’s flaw, not accommodating for users surfing with it is alienating to potential readers. I recommend he try for inclusive approach to browser differences in order to reach a wider audience. Also, on the larger pages, the right navigational column is shoved to the bottom of the page.

Without a doubt, however, Elderbear has here a more than sturdy politically-charged blog that has dexterously avoided many of the pitfalls of it’s genre. A worthwhile read for inquisitive surfers willing to tolerate a few design errors.Elderbear’s Den

My initial reaction to this site is the pink. Very rarely do you see a pink on a blog when it’s not some godawful bright pink. I see the pink ribbon and it immediately brings to mind breast cancer support. Good thing I paid attention to that little detail too, because it seems this blog is one woman’s struggle from finding out that she has a lump to getting treatment.

The blog itself if very touching and emotional. I, personally, have been fortunate enough to not have had a family member get breast cancer, so this is an entirely new experience. The entries aren’t filled with grief and woe-is-me’s, it’s actually filled with real emotion about the anticipation of the results of the various tests. I can’t help but feel compelled to read every entry from start to finish to read and understand the struggle that it must be for the author. Even the short entries leave you wondering how you’d handle a similar situation.



I’ve read themed blogs before, y’know the kind, where people write about a certain subject or experience. I have to say that this is one of the better of the themed blogs. The author writes from her heart and it’s evident as you see her struggle with how to tell her mom and sister. Her worries about what may or may not happen. The strength she gains from the few readers who leave her kind notes, and the support she gets from family and friends.



The design of the blog is done well. My only complaint is that the links are a very light pink and hard to see, even under the best of lighting. Otherwise the blog flows well.



This blog is compelling, to say the least. I couldn’t help but read through each entry, and felt the pangs of sadness while she was in the hospital awaiting her surgery. The author kept up the writing, even while being admitted into the hospital by means of handwriting her feelings, which were later added to the blog by her daughter. It’s well worth a read for anyone who has had a family member diagnosed with breast cancer or otherwise. It’s an intimate blog about someone’s journey through cancer. What more can be said? I wish the author much luck.Beyond Contestation

The Mermaid Tavern’s name is based on a quote by Keats, which she references in the subtitle to the blog page, which is always nice to see.

One of the first things that I also look for is information about the author, links, and icons that display what groups if any the site belongs to. She has a listing of the most recent posts, and an About Me section that includes such tidbits as her Favorite Carpet Color. There are also links to other sites and an archive listing which only dates back to February of 2004 so this would appear to be a recent addition to the blogosphere.

The posting seem pretty regular with a new entry every day or two. I began reading the posts, and they are a bit funny, though her sense of humor does take a period of adjustment. There are no hyper links to the sources of the headlines and jokes, just postings of them. At the end of one such post, which listed various strange headlines along with the authors one-liners inserted there was a reference to the site from which she evidently garnered the headlines, but again there was no hyper link.

She seems to revel in the fact that her sense of humor eludes some if not most of her readers, including herself.

The site is your typical blogspot, simple and clean and slow. When you initially load the site, don’t be surprised if the side panel takes a few moments to display, it did for me and I am on a high-speed connection at work.

There is not a lot of customization that can really be done with blogspot so there are not a lot of unique things on the site. The side panel has been done in center aligned text which to me looks a tad off. The headers for the sections on the side however are right-aligned which seems to add to the disjointed look. A tried and true method is to right-align the entire right column, thereby separating it from the posts and forcing things to line up cleanly no matter how the site is viewed.

The author should link to the sources she uses in her posts, since this is standard “good manners” in the blogosphere and will help net even more hits to her site once she shows up on someone’s referral listing.

I read through approximately a month of posts and while she is funny in her own way, the site is not meant to be read in a long sitting. The jokes and twists of words become a bit tiresome when reading it for long periods of time.

But the site is funny and represents something unique to the sites that I have seen in the past. She does not discuss anything serious on the site or at least does not handle serious issues seriously. The Mermaid Tavern is like a comic strip; it is fun to read once a day as you check out other things, but don’t try to read it like a book.

If you are looking for lighthearted comments on a huge variety of subjects, The Mermaid Tavern would be a nice stop.

I am giving the site 3.5 stars, the writing is good, but there are a few spelling mistakes that I noticed and the design needs to have some more work put into it. Update the design a little and spruce it up and you could easily have a 4.0 site. The Mermaid Tavern